Saskatchewan Justice reviewing whether charges warranted in Husky oil spill
REGINA — Saskatchewan’s Justice Ministry is reviewing whether charges are warranted against Husky Energy in a major oil spill last summer.
The department is reviewing Husky’s response to alarms before the spill and a delay in shutting down the ruptured pipeline.
The leak last July allowed 225,000 litres of heavy oil mixed with diluent to spill onto the bank of the North Saskatchewan River —about 40 per cent reached the river.
The government’s investigation found the pipeline’s alarms were flagging potential problems the day before the spill was found and continued until the line was shut down the next day.
Energy and Resources Minister Dustin Duncan says he’s concerned that the government was first told about the spill when a member of the public reported an oil slick on the river and that it was the government that notified Husky.
Husky won’t comment on the justice review, but says it has accepted full responsibility for the spill and taken action to improve operations. Husky Energy (TSX:HSE) has said the pipeline buckled because of ground movement.
The spill forced the cities of North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort to shut their intakes from the river and find other water sources for almost two months.
Environmentalists have called for Husky to be fined for discharging a substance that could hurt the environment.